


Mark of the Luminary

by Payjack



Category: Dragon Quest XI, Luminerik - Fandom
Genre: Luminerik, M/M, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:08:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25368874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Payjack/pseuds/Payjack
Summary: Last minute Soulmate AU.
Relationships: Camus | Erik/Hero | Luminary (Dragon Quest XI)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 72





	Mark of the Luminary

Soulmate AU

Those of Erdrea share a birthmark with their soul mate.

"Head south. There you will meet the Luminary underground. And you shall find forgiveness."

Bullshit. Erik didn't feel very forgiven, rotting away in the dank and dark cell they'd thrown him in months ago.

"I'm never listening to anyone ever again," he told himself. It was a bit overdramatic, but it's not like there was anyone else down there to hear him. The echo of his voice down the hall proved it. Had any of the guards heard him, they would have yelled at him to shut up.

At least his griping was productive. Knowing that the guards were out of earshot he could get back to work. He pulled back the straw "bedding" they had given him to reveal the large hole he'd been digging. He hopped down and felt around for the little trowel his friend Dirk had managed to smuggle in to him.

As he chipped away at his man-made tunnel his mind wandered back to how he had gotten here. Months had passed, but he still couldn't believe it.

They had caught him snatching a man's purse (not one of Erik's proudest moments), and due to the status of the victim they had brought him to the King himself to judge his sentence. Things were already feeling a bit theatrical, but when one of the guards shoved him to his knees before the throne, the King jumped to his feet.

"Th-that mark!" the King yelled, pointing to Erik's chest. The laces of his shirt had slackened from the rough handling of the guards, causing his shirt to fall off his collar. There, Erik knew, was his birth mark. But what would they care?

Before he had had a chance to ask the guards were tensing, hands itching by the hilts of their swords. One of the knights by the King's side looked up at him, concerned. "My Lord?"

"That is the mark of the Luminary, harbinger of calamity!" the King exclaimed. He lifted his head to face his knights with dramatic conviction. "Know this. The Luminary is not a messenger of light, as we were once told. He is the root of all evil! His coming heralds the resurrection of the Dark One!"

"What? I'm no Luminary! The hell you-" Erik was cut off by one of the guards giving him a swift kick to the stomach.

"Don't talk back to his Majesty, accursed Luminary!" the guard hissed.

"Arrest him! Throw him in the dungeons. Do not let him see the light of day!"

And he hadn't. Only the flickering of the rusted sconces scattered throughout the hall. Pfeh, if he was the Luminary he should at least have been able to make some form of light. Besides, he knew for a fact that it wasn't him.

A few nights after he'd been imprisoned, the King himself had come down to see him. That on its own put up red flags in Erik's mind. He had tensed up, ready for anything. Well, he thought he had been. He wasn't expecting the vicious gleam in the King's eyes as he dashed forward faster than Erik could blink. A dark energy swirled around his hands as he clawed at him, smacking Erik's hands away as he tried to fight back. Soon he overpowered him and thrust his hand into Erik's chest. 

The pain was blinding. Erik screamed and pulled at the King's arm, desperate for any way to stop the pain. A moment later (although it felt much much longer than that) the King pulled away and Erik slumped to the floor, gasping.

"You are no Luminary. Your powers are weak at best." The King spat next to Erik's head. He turned on his heel and left, telling the guards to keep him there to rot. 

"W-wait!" Erik scrambled over to the bars as the cell door slammed shut. "If I'm not the Luminary then let me go! Hey! HEY!!"

And that was that. All he had seen since were his daily meals and an occasional basin of cold water to wash with. So sue him if he was a bit bitter. He even griped at his soulmate in the dark. 

"You've gotten my ass in a world of trouble, dammit. Fucking soulmates," he grumbled to himself. And to think he had once been excited about meeting them. Mia had all these wild theories about who would have a birthmark like his. One of them was the Luminary, and Erik had to give her credit for that one. Whoever had hers must be suffering too... No. Not if he could break out of this goddamned hell hole and find a fucking cure.

After months of digging and sore and calloused hands, he was just about finished. He laid back against the brick wall, hood over his head to block out the light of the flames so he could get some rest. Sleep, however, wasn't in the cards that night, as the stomping of armored feet echoed down the hall. Erik didn't move. It wasn't like there was anything he could do from his cell anyway. 

He watched out of the corner of his eye as more guards than usual came closer. They were pushing someone along. Another prisoner? That was a first. They had never brought anyone else down before. He huffed out a sigh. Now it was going to be even harder to escape. Who knew if this new guy was a narc?

The prisoner was shoved unceremoniously into their cell, just as Erik had been. The King's right hand man himself locked the door. His booming voice echoed as he spoke, "In three days, Jasper will conduct his... investigation. We will know for certain if you are who you claim to be by then. Do not expect your life to last longer than that." With that he motioned to his men and they turned and left, not even sparing a glance Erik's way. He was fine with that. The less interest they had in him the better.

The new prisoner didn't even seem to notice him. Erik did have a knack for joining the shadows in their dark corners. If he didn't want to be seen he usually wasn't. This other guy however, didn't seem to have a deft bone in his body. His boots slapped against the wet stone ground as he paced his new home, and he even stumbled over the uneven floor a few times. Once he even grabbed the cell door in a useless attempt to shake it open.

Erik sighed. "Would you keep it down in there? You'd think you'd wait at least a day before going stir crazy."

The prisoner jumped. He really hadn't seen him. He leaned his forehead against the cell door to try to see better and Erik realized he was just a kid, not much younger than he was. That was a surprise.

"What are you in for anyhow? You don't get free bed and board down here without having done something pretty bad."

The boy closed his eyes for a moment, but whether he was thinking of what to say or just trying to adjust to the dark Erik wasn't sure. After a moment he let out a long breath and told him what had happened. He'd discovered he was the Luminary a few days ago and was told to see King Carnelian, but was thrown in jail. 

"Wait--" Erik's heart leaped into his throat as he shot upright. He stood and tried to get a better view of the boy across from him. "Did you say 'the Luminary?' You're serious?"

The boy smiled, realizing how ridiculous he sounded. He shrugged. "I couldn't make this up if I wanted to."

A chuckle bubbled its way out of Erik's chest. He turned away from the boy and his chuckle turned into full on laughter. He couldn't breathe. The fucking Luminary. He doubled over in laughter, unable to stop himself. 

"You're telling me-" he managed between wheezes, "that the Luminary has just shown up in the cell next to mine? This is fucking crazy..."

Not knowing how to respond the boy remained silent. Erik finally was able to catch his breath before turning back to him. "The Luminary," he said again, as if he hadn't already. "What makes you so sure-"

Erik's question was cut off by the sound of metal on stone. Footsteps. 

It was just one soldier this time, and he had a bowl in each hand. Ah, dinner time. It must have been evening.

"One bowl of delicious gruel for the gentleman in the dungeon suite! Come and get it!" Ugh. The man was putting on a show. When it was just Erik they usually just kicked the bowl under the door before wordlessly marching back. He was sliding it by hand this time, and he was distracted. Perfect.

The soldier stood up slowly, grunting slightly with the effort. He didn't seem like he was in the best shape. He glared at Erik (or he assumed so. He was wearing a helmet.) and Erik took that moment to jab a quick fist into his gut. 

One hit and the man was down. Erik quickly knelt down, reaching across the bars and trying his best to search his pockets. The boy stared as Erik managed to get the key ring off of the unconscious soldier, open the cell, and drag the body inside. He backed away nervously as Erik approached his cell with his newly acquired sword. (He'd taken it off the soldier.) Erik unlocked the door and it swung open. 

"How can I be certain you're the Luminary?" Erik asked, eyeing him up and down. The boy took another nervous step back, but lifted his left hand. In the low light Erik had to squint, but he could just make out a very familiar mark on the back of his hand. He sucked in a breath. It was him. And not just the Luminary, but... him.

"W-well," he stammered, trying to regain his composure. "we better get out of here then."

"Excuse me?" the boy asked, not quite catching on to what was happening.

"If you really are the Luminary, then I'm sure they won't let you live for long. You heard what that knight said. Besides," Erik smirked. "I sure as heck have had enough of this place. Come on." He motioned for the boy to follow him into his cell.

"How are we going to get out of here?" he asked as Erik knelt down by his bedding. 

"Don't worry. I wouldn't have pulled a stunt like that," he said, motioning to the soldier slumped on the ground, "if I didn't have a plan ready. Can you grab one of those torches from the hall?" 

He did as he was told, and upon returning he saw Erik shift the bedding to the side to reveal a large hole in the ground. "You did this?" he asked in awe. 

"Yup. Spent ages digging this hole, and you just happen to appear right when I'm about finished? Heck of a coincidence..." Erik turned to him with an outstretched hand. "I'm Erik, by the way."

"I'm Eleven," he replied, reaching out to take his hand. "I guess this means we're partners--ah!"

As their hands clasped a shock ran through them both. Erik tried to take a step back, but it was as if their hands were glued together. Eleven's hand was glowing where his mark was and Erik could feel his own burning up. Finally they were able to break apart. 

"What-- what was that??" Eleven asked, wide-eyed. 

Erik knew they were running out of time and boy did he have a lot to say, but it would have to wait. To give a short answer he pulled his shirt to the side, where his mark shone brightly over his heart. Eleven's jaw dropped. "Heck of a coincidence, right?" Erik said, smiling broadly. "Let's get out of here and then we'll have the chance to talk." 

Erik hopped into the hole, then looked up at Eleven. He couldn't see much of him, but the shine in the boy's eyes had him almost giddy. He once again reached out his hand, this time to help him down. Eleven took it, and while there was no electricity this time, there was a warmth there that felt like home. Erik knew that whether or not the Seer had been right about forgiveness, things were going to turn out ok.


End file.
